Want to sculpt your arms?  Here’s a quick-paced workout that does wonders!  Sometimes I do triceps and biceps on different days BUT then sometimes I do them together – what a crazy thought.  All exercises were repeated four times.  The exercise sets within each superset should have minimal-to-no rest.  Between supersets keep your rest time minimal (under 5 minutes).

• SUPERSET #1:  One-arm dumbbell triceps extension (15 repetitions each arm) & barbell “21’s” (15 repetitions)
• SUPERSET#2:  Dumbbell hammer curls (both arms at the same time; 15 repetitions) and body weight bench dips (20 repetitions)
• SUPERSET #3:  Rope triceps pushdown (15 repetitions), lying straight leg raises (15 repetitions), & rear felt machine (15 repetitions)
• SUPERSET #4:  Kettlebell abdominal twists (20 repetitions) & TRX abdominal knee crunches (15 repetitions)

End with some cardio!!!  Rock that soreness tomorrow. 🙂

xxx – Sarah

It’s Wednesday and closer to the weekend otherwise known as bikini time…  Every part of your body is on display when wearing summer clothes and bathing suits.  Do you want to look even better in your swimsuit this summer?  Then don’t neglect your back!  Stay in proportion by working each body part on a daily basis – consistency is the key.  

This exercise routine is focused primarily to utilize back muscles.  The cardio and abdominal bursts throughout the workout add spunk and  get your heart pumping!  No good workout is without sweat.   

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• Stair Master -> 15 minutes with intensity increasing every 5 minutes (start at level 6 and work your way up)
• SUPERSET #1 (repeat 3x, 15 repetitions each):  wide grip lat pull down machine, underhand cable pulldowns, hanging leg raises, & cable straight arm pull downs
• SUPERSET #2 (repeat 3x, 15 repetitions each):  one arm dumbbell rows (15 repetitions with each arm) & exercise ball pull-in’s
• SUPERSET#3 (repeat 3x, 15 repetitions each):  seated cable rows & abdominal crunches
• SUPERSET #4 (repeat 4 times):  bent over barbell rows (15 repetitions – can be completed with an inside or outside grip) & mountain climbers (40 repetitions)
• SUPERSET #5 (repeat 3 times, 15 repetitions):  back extension (can be weighted; optional), Roman char leg raises, & exercise ball pull-in’s

 Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

-Jim Ryan (former NFL Denver Bronco’s linebacker)

xxx – Sarah

Today’s leg workout was awesome.  I added in some new exercises that I have not done in a long, long time and it was definitely the right move.  It is good to constantly revamp your workouts to keep your body “guessing.”  I like to call this “exercise distortion” because when your body is not used to something the movement/exercise acts as a shock.  Keep your workouts interesting by trying and incorporating some or all of these exercises into your exercise routines.  All exercises are to be repeated FOUR times (ie. repeat each superset FOUR times).

• Superset #1:  Narrow leg stance dumbbell squats (10/12/14/16 reps) & wide leg stance air squats (20 reps)
• Superset #2:  Weighted hack squat machine (10 reps) & running up/down the stairs 6 times (scalable based upon your facility) OR do knee touches for 1 minute
• Superset #3:  Calf raise machine (15 reps) & lying down hamstring curl machine
• Superset #4:  Butt blaster (12 reps each leg) & fit ball ‘Swiss ball knee tuck-in’s’ otherwise known as ‘jackknife’ (15 reps) -> this is a great website that outlines how to do the previously mentioned abdominal exercise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y03dkaK1O0)
• Superset #5:  Reverse bridge/plank (hold for 1 minute) & kettle bell abdominal twists (20 reps)

Happy Wednesday!  

Today’s workout was nice and fast!  All sets were supersets and rest time was minimal!  All sets were composed of 20 repetitions therefore choose a weight that you can use for all 4 sets without having to decrease/increase the weight!  A total of 480 repetitions will be completed at the end!  ENJOY 🙂

• SUPERSET #1:  Seated dumbbell shoulder press & standing rear delt dumbbell fly
• SUPERSET #2:  Seated lateral dumbbell raise & standing dumbbell front raise
• SUPERSET#3:  Standing upright dumbbell rows & bicycle/abdominal crunches 

Optional  :::  Hit the cardiovascular machines for 30 minutes to obtain your daily dose of ideal exercise which is a mixture of both  cardiovascular and weight training totaling 60 minutes!

Most people dread doing leg exercises at the gym – I dread back.  This workout was quick and fun.  It can be done with a partner which means you can switch back and forth between exercises when doing each superset which makes time fly.  

All exercise sets were repeated four times with 20 repetitions which is a nice and easy number to remember.  In other words, 7 exercises results in 28 sets of intensity.  Rest time between sets within each superset should be minimal.  

• SUPERSET #1:  Barbell Romanian deadlift & barbell bent over row
• SUPERSET #2:  Wide grip lat pull downs & close grip rows (cable machine for both)
• SUPERSET #3:  Bicycle crunches, back hyperextensions with/or without a weight, and hanging leg raises

Get to work it’s time to work YOUR back!  

Today’s morning workout was simple.  Four sets of all exercises and complete 30 repetitions for every set.  EASY PEASY.  Each exercise is scalable.  Choose a weight that is somewhat heavy but NOT your heaviest because you will use that weight throughout the four rounds…

• Barbell wide squats
• Leg press machine (medium stance)
• Barbell or dumbbell stiff leg deadlift
• Barbell lunges (in place)
• Calf raises on leg press machine
• End with a bang aka some cardio = 20 minutes on the stair master

…Now the rest of YOUR day can begin!

I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t posted recipes or workouts… BUT I have been doing them!  My most recent workout was cardio based but it was great!  I started with abdominal exercises therefore while I was running/stepping I felt my stomach at work!

• Windshield wipers: 3 sets, 26 repetitions
• Lying straight legged lifts with a raise at the top: 3 sets, 15 repetitions
• Side 1-arm planks: 3 sets, 45 seconds (each arm)
• 30 minutes on the stairmaster
• 15 minutes running on the treadmill

All moves can be scaled to your ability that is why there are no specifics listed.  Enjoy!  I was in and out in slightly over an hour 🙂

Yesterday was a super busy day and it was “REGISTERED DIETITIAN DAY” but that did not keep me out of the gym!  I had a short but sweet workout and the weight numbers have been omitted to allow for scaling based upon your ability…

• Treadmill for 30 minutes: Run/walk every .25 of a mile at a fast/medium pace
• Dumbbell close grip narrow stance squat shoulder presses -> 4 sets, 12 repetitions (pyramid the weight up gradually each time)
• Dumbbell side lateral raises supersetted with dumbbell front raises -> 3 sets, 12 i each (keep the weight challenging throughout)
• Dumbbell shoulder shrugs -> 3 sets, 15 repetitions (pyramid the weight up until the last 3-4 repetitions are difficult to complete)
• Shoulder press machine (utilize outside handles) -> 3 sets, 12 repetitions (keep the weight challenging throughout)
• Rear delt machine -> 3 sets, 15 repetitions (keep the weight challenging throughout)
• Handstand push ups -> 3 sets, as many repetitions possible (AMRP)
• Abdominal bicycle crunches -> 3 sets, 25 repetitions
• Lying down leg raises -> 3 sets, 15 repetitions
• Stairmaster for 10 minutes: Keep the level stable (50 side steps/50 center steps/50 side steps and repeat until the time is up)

And… as the title states this workout was predominantly shoulder focused!  The rest time was minimal therefore the entire workout was pretty fast and took slightly over an hour for completion thus was a time saver = score!